When they raised student fees in each of the last four years, the regents told us we had to adapt to a lean state budget, like everyone else. The University of California has said the same thing to its service workers, despite studies showing that they are grossly underpaid.

Even UC President Robert C. Dynes has done his part, taking a pay cut, compared to the salary of his predecessor.

Yet while administrators have asked students and employees to share the pain of state cuts, they have not asked the same of Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. In fact, to comply with the provisions in her contract, the university has scrambled to raise $7.2 million to build Fox a house and has been paying her monthly rent of $6,500.

In every letter and every public event, our chancellor loves to praise this great university, calling it one of the best in the world and extolling her empathy for students and employees.

But while these same students and same employees continue to bear the pain of state budget, Fox has not offered to unilaterally change her contract by dropping the housing provision. Nor has she even offered to extend the four-mile radius within which the university must house her so as to give administrators extra flexibility.

This page has long supported moderation and understanding in the university’s response to fiscal reality. But this position should extend to everyone involved, whether they’re covered by a bureacratic contract or procedural safeguards.

Chancellor Fox: If you are as happy and fortunate to be here as you always tell us, you must share the pain with the rest of us.